Puʻu ʻŌʻō

Puʻu ʻŌʻō
View at dusk, June 1983
Highest point
Elevation2,290 ft (700 m)
Coordinates19°23′11″N 155°06′18″W / 19.38639°N 155.10500°W / 19.38639; -155.10500
Geography
LocationHawaii County, Hawaii, US
Parent rangeHawaiian Islands
Topo mapUSGS Kalalua
Geology
Rock age42 years
Mountain typeCinder/spatter cone
Volcanic arc/beltHawaiian-Emperor seamount chain
Last eruption1983–2018

Puʻu ʻŌʻō (also spelled Pu‘u‘ō‘ō, and often written Puu Oo, pronounced [ˈpuʔu ˈʔoːʔoː], poo-oo-OH-oh) is a volcanic cone on the eastern rift zone of Kīlauea volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. The eruption that created Puʻu ʻŌʻō began on January 3, 1983, and continued nearly continuously until April 30, 2018, making it the longest-lived rift-zone eruption of the last two centuries.

By January 2005, 2.7 cubic kilometers (0.65 cu mi) of magma covered an area of more than 117 square kilometers (45 sq mi) and added 230 acres (0.93 km2) of land to the southeast coast of Hawaiʻi. The eruption claimed at least 189 buildings and 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) of highways, as well as a church, a store, the Wahaʻula Visitor Center, and many ancient Hawaiian sites, including the Wahaʻula heiau. The coastal highway has been closed since 1987, as parts of the road have been buried under lava up to 35 meters (115 ft) thick.